Happy Birthday Spike – 9th June!

Birdland’s very own penguin superstar Spike is celebrating his 11^th birthday on Saturday, June 9^th.
Spike, who was born in 2007, had to be hand-reared by keepers after being abandoned as an egg by his parents Frank and Beryl.
Over the years he has become one of the country’s best known penguins with more than 9,000 followers on Facebook.
He’s a regular on TV and has even starred alongside the legendary Sir David Attenborough as part of the ‘Natural Curiosities’ series.
To celebrate his big day keepers at the Bourton-on-the-Water wildlife attraction are planning on presenting him with a selection of his favourite fishy treats and are hoping visitors will join them in singing happy birthday.
Among his other television highlights are ‘Penguins Make You Laugh Out Loud’ and ‘Junior Vets’. He’s also appeared on ‘Escape to the Country’ and starred in adverts for LG and an Icelandic bank.
He has also done a spot of modelling and has appeared in numerous calendars and on greetings cards. Spike even had a double page spread in a natural history book.
Spike lists his interests as ‘eating fish’, ‘swimming’, ‘part-time modelling’, ‘chasing keepers’ and ‘playing football’.
Anyone visiting Birdland can identify Spike as he is currently sporting a green and purple bracelet on his left wing.
With its combination of woodland, riverside and gardens, Birdland features more than 500 birds, ranging from birds of prey and parrots to cassowaries and cranes in a mix of free-flying and aviary displays.